• The jelly scrolling issue continues on the iPad Mini 2024, but it’s much less pronounced, with some reviewers saying it’s fixed or not mentioning it at all.

• Apple’s decision not to move the display controller or increase the refresh rate explains why the problem is still present.

• In everyday use, you may not notice any problems at all (even on the old model).

The sixth-generation iPad Mini was almost perfect, apart from one issue that plagued the display: so-called jelly scrolling. So did the 2024 7th generation iPad Mini refresh fix the problem? The answer is complicated.

What is Jelly Scrolling?

Jelly scrolling was a problem that it quickly became associated with the 2021 iPad Mini after raising its head when the iPad was used in portrait mode. Since one side of the screen would refresh slightly slower than the other, vertical scrolling in portrait orientation would result in noticeable judder.

This is because the left side of the iPad Mini screen would update before the right side. There was a noticeable lag between left and right elements, as the right side of the screen took a bit longer to catch up. It was especially pronounced when scrolling fast.

Jelly scrolling was most noticeable when scrolling through text-heavy web pages or documents. It was less of an issue in games and imperceptible on static or slow-moving screen elements. Of course, it wasn’t a problem at all when using the iPad in landscape mode.

The reason for the jelly scrolling was primarily the location of the display controller, which is located along the left edge of the iPad Minis screen when held in portrait mode. The display controller sends around 60 updates per second (hence the screens refresh rate of 60 Hz), but they must move from left to right.

Standard iPad models solve this problem by placing the display controller at the top of the screen in portrait orientation. Jelly scrolling is still an issue on these models, but since most people surf the web or read text in portrait mode, the problem is much less noticeable.

It’s also worth pointing out that the 60Hz refresh rate only made the problem worse. Double the refresh rate to 120 Hz (or as Apple calls it, ProMotion) would make the screen refresh twice as fast and make the problem much less noticeable to the vast majority of people.

Jelly Scrolling is still present

So, has Apple fixed the jelly scrolling issue on iPad Mini 2024? The answer seems to be no, with one big caveat. Despite mixed messages from reviewers, jelly scrolling appears to still be present on the seventh-generation iPad Mini 2024.

The Verges David Pierce Member that the problem is still very present. Despite this, there is a silver lining. Pierce notes that jelly scrolling is less present in the 2024 model, and the problem wasn’t serious enough to make his list of cons.

The fact seems to be that jelly scrolling is much better on the iPad Mini 2024 than on the previous model. Reviews posted on wired, Tom’s Guideand Stuff states that it is no longer a problem, whereas CNET and TechRadar don’t mention the problem at all.

This is especially interesting given what teardowns reveal about the new tablet.

Apple didn’t move the display controller

iFixits broken confirms that jelly scrolling is still present through a few tests and also reveals why. Apple hasn’t moved the display controller on the iPad Mini 2024, although it has somehow improved the performance to the point where it’s less noticeable.

The iFixit teardown states that the chips used in the display controller appear to be the same as in the previous model, but admits that through a trick Apple managed to solve the worst of the jelly scrolling issues.

This means that the problem may no longer bother you, especially if you were not so gradual last time. If you mainly use your iPad for sketching and drawing, for gaming, making musicor spend most of your time in landscape mode, then you probably shouldn’t think about it.

So, should you upgrade from the sixth-generation iPad Mini to the 2024 model? Read our iPad Mini comparison to find out. We wouldn’t blame you if you’ve decided to skip refreshing your iPad Mini this year unless Apple Intelligence features are really important to you.